Case for storing and withdrawing rigid sheets in a consecutive order



E.- MONTANARI Dec. 26,1967 7 3,360,315

CASE FOR STORING AND WITHDRAWING RIGID SHEETS IN A CONSECUTIVE ORDER Filed Feb. 7, 1966 Fig.2

F'ig l INVENTOR. Eugenio Montonori H 6 /\l'l01'n y Z United States Patent 3,360,315 CASE FOR STORING AND WITHDRAWING RIGID SHEETS IN A CONSECUTIVE ORDER Eugenio Montanari, Via Albini N. 7/5, Bologna, Italy Filed Feb. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 525,690 9 Claims. (Cl. 312-) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A case or receptacle for rigid sheets such as phonograph records, having an entry slot, abutment elements on the interior for holding sheets in an intermediate position and for holding one sheet in position near a withdrawal slot. Withdrawal of the one sheet enables the adjacent sheet to move into the withdrawal position.

Field of the invention This invention relates to a receptacle, album, package and shipping container for phonograph disc-records.

Summary of the Invention The primary object of the invention is to provide a receptacle of the kind mentioned, for an operator, such as a driver of a car, a disc jockey and such, who, being otherwise busy, can use only one hand for a quick and efiicient manipulation of the records, including their withdrawal and refiling.

Another object of the invention is to provide a receptacle of the kind mentioned, which can be easily manufactured and assembled and which also is suitable for easy carrying and installation in a vehicle, as an accessory for a record player, as a shipping container and/or record album package.

Other objects and many advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art, after a study of the following detailed description, in connection with the accompanying drawing.

Brief description of the drawing In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the receptacle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the receptacle of the present invention in horizontal operating position along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the receptacle as shown in FIG. 2 with the top removed and the various positions of the records indicated in broken lines.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring now to the drawings, where like reference numerals depict the same or equivalent parts, there is shown in the various Figures the receptacle, assembled from three basic component sections, 1 to 3.

The upper section 1 forms the lid of the receptacle, and section 2 its bottom when looked upon as they appear in the horizontal operating position of FIG. 2.

Section 3 is the intermediate sliding section interposed between the lid and bottom of the receptacle and separating the record insert and withdrawal slots and areas to provide gravity sliding means for the records, prior to their entry into their ready-for-withdrawal position.

These three sections are of dimensions and shapes permitting their easy mating into an integral assembly by means of a plurality of spaced orifices 4 in each section, the orifices being aligned for a bolt and nut assembly or similar tight joints. The right side as shown in FIG. 2 is the operating side of the receptacle.

Section 1 is mounted with its rim on the operating side spaced above the upper rim of the right hand wall of section 3, to form an insert slot 6 for successive insertions of the records, the slot 6 having the necessary minimum width and length to accomodate every size record. j The bottom section 2 of the receptacle carries adjacent its inaccessible side two upstanding tongues 7 mounted relative to the inaccessible side of the bottom and having downwardly inclined edges to provide a sliding plane from the side wall of the intermediate sector to thebottom.

Extending upwardly from the bottom section 2 there are provided two lugs 8, and two spaced, parallel strips 10. Guide pins 11 are spaced from bottom 2 extending i from section 3.

By the above arrangement a record 12 inserted through slot 6 assumes necessarily a first inclined edge indicated in FIG. 2 by the solid line 13 and in FIG. 3 by the broken line 13. It slides with one end against the inclined edges of tongues 7 and after it passes beyond pins 11 it drops to the bottom. The pins 11 are spaced from base section 2 so that the record after having assumed position 13, is moved over the inclined edges, passes under the pins 11, between the pins 11 and the base section 2 and reaches the rest position 12, which is shown in FIG. 2 in a solid line and in FIG. 3 in a broken line.

The angle of inclined indicated in FIG. 2 by theedges of tongue 7 and solid line 13- is drawn to scale and represents about the optimum angles for these purposes.

In this position the record rests against the lugs 8, which are considerably higher than the strips 10 on which the record previously was sliding.

A second record and all subsequently inserted records introduced while the first record is deposited in the rest position reaches only position 13, since it cannot pass pins 11, which space already is occupied by the first record.

Base section 2 is preferably provided with a cut-out finger-slot 5 to accommodate the thumb and fingers of the operators hand.

While the lowest record is being withdrawn from its rest position, the place it occupied under pins 11 is being freed for the next immediately superimposed record, which follows the withdrawn record into the rest position 12.

As the bottom record is being withdrawn a slight upward manual pressure frees it from lugs 8. The lu-gs 8 present an obstacle to the falling out of the record through the bottom orifice, should the case be overturned.

The strips 9 extending from the under-side of section 1 divert the records downward and prevent their lying parallel to the lid and falling out of the case through the insert orifice 6 should the case be overturned.

Both the strips 9 and 10 eliminate harmful friction and slipping of the record against the interior of the case.

The case can be turned upside down, with the insert and withdrawal orifices facing downwards, without danger of damage to the records or of their falling out of the case.

While only two records have been depicted stored in the case, a plurality of records may be stacked in the intermediate position simultaneously.

This construction is also applicable to handling records with an automatic record player, which operates on the principle of automatic mechanical sideway delivery of stacked records to the gramophone plate and of sideway individual removal of the played record from the plate. For a vertical storage a portion of the lid of the case is to be removed such as shown in FIG. 3.

delivery of any type of stacked rigid sheet material,- to be subsequently withdrawn.

While I have disclosed the form of construction presently preferred by me for carrying the invention into practice, numerous modification, alterations and substitutions of equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art, after a study of the foregoing specification. Hence the disclosure should be taken in an illustrative rather than limiting sense; and it is my desire and intention to reserve all modifications and substitutions of equivalents within the scope of the subjoined claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A rigid sheet-case, for at least two rigid sheets to be stored and withdrawn in consecutive order comprisan upper means forming at least a portion of a lid and a sheet-insert slot,

an intermediate sheet-sliding and -storing means for a temporary suspension of the inserted sheets,

a base means including a ready-for-withdrawal sheetpositioning means with a withdrawal slot therefore, said case including means to hold sheets inserted in an intermediate position while a sheet occupies a readyfor-withdrawal position on the base means,

said case being provided with means for integral assembly,

and means for freeing only one sheet at a time from the suspended intermediate position for gravitational sliding into the ready-for-withdrawal position on the base means, while the bottom sheet is being withdrawn.

2. A case for storing and withdrawing rigid sheets in a consecutive order as claimed in claim 1, said first means forming a full lid and together with the second means forming an insert-slot for insertion of sheets.

3. A case for storing and withdrawing rigid sheets in a consecutive order as claimed in claim 2, said first and second means including means to prevent gravitational falling out of an inserted sheet through the insert slot on overturning the case.

4. A case for storing and withdrawing rigid sheets in a consecutive order as claimed in claim 1, said third means including means to prevent free gravitational falling out of the bottom sheet through the withdrawal slot on overturning the case.

5. A case for storing and withdrawing rigid sheets in a consecutive order as claimed in claim 1, said first, second and third means comprising means for causing said sheets to move by gravitational sliding from the inserted position in sequence into the intermediate suspended positions and subsequently one at a time on withdrawal of the bottom disk into the ready-for-withdrawal position.

6. A case for storing and withdrawing rigid sheets in a consecutive order as claimed in claim 1, and means for preventing accidental lateral withdrawal of a sheet from the ready-for-withdrawal position.

7. A case for storing and withdrawing rigid sheets in a consecutive order as claimed in claim 1, and means to prevent said sheets from engaging the planar interior surfaces of the case.

8. A case for storing and withdrawing rigid sheets in a consecutive order as claimed in claim 1, and means to facilitate withdrawal of sheets one at a time from the ready-for-witbdrawal position through said slot manually.

9. A case for storing and withdrawing rigid sheets in a consecutive order as claimed in claim 1, and means to facilitate insertion of the sheets through said sheet-insert slot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 912,804 2/1909 Brush 31Z6l BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

J. L. KOHNEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A RIGID SHEET-CASE, FOR AT LEAST TWO RIGID SHEETS TO BE STORED AND WITHDRAWN IN CONSECUTIVE ORDER COMPRISING AN UPPER MEANS FORMING AT LEAST A PORTION OF A LID AND A SHEET-INSERT SLOT, AN INTERMEDIATE SHEET-SLIDING AND STORING MEANS FOR A TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF THE INSERTED SHEETS, A BASE MEANS INCLUDING A READY-FOR-WITHDRAWAL SHEETPOSITIONING MEANS WITH A WITHDRAWAL SLOT THEREFORE, SAID CASE INCLUDING MEANS TO HOLD SHEETS INSERTED IN AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION WHILE A SHEET OCCUPIES A READYFOR-WITHDRAWAL POSITION ON THE BASE MEANS, SAID CASE BEING PROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR INTEGRAL ASSEMBLY, AND MEANS FOR FREEING ONLY ONE SHEET AT A TIME FROM THE SUSPENDED INTERMEDIATE POSITION FOR GRAVITATIONAL 